Almost all restrictive release conditions on Jonatan Urich, a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were lifted on Sunday, and he will now be able to contact and work with the premier after being barred from doing so for a year.

Urich is a key suspect in the Bild leaked documents scandal and the Qatargate affair.

The decision by the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court to end the restrictions on Urich came after an agreement between his attorneys and the police that was approved by the court.

A ban on Urich leaving the country remained in place, and he was still barred from speaking about the investigations with Netanyahu or anyone else connected to the two cases.

Urich expressed joy upon the cancellation of his restrictions, posting excerpts from Jewish prayers in a post on X.

“We’re coming back in full force,” he added enthusiastically. “Bibi, be available. I’m on my way!!!”

Urich, along with former Netanyahu spokesman Eli Feldstein and ex-campaign adviser Yisrael Einhorn, is accused of taking money to spearhead a public relations campaign to cast Qatar in a positive light for over a year after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, despite the Gulf state’s backing for the terror group, all while working in the PMO.

Urich is suspected of contact with a foreign agent, bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and money laundering.

Additionally, police decided on Sunday not to appeal a decision by the same court to cancel the restriction on Tzachi Braverman — Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, who is suspected of interfering in an investigation connected to the Bild leaked documents affair — from contacting Netanyahu.

Braverman is, however, forbidden from discussing the case with the prime minister or contacting anyone else involved in it.

The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court ruled on Thursday against extending the restrictions, and the police decided Sunday not to appeal the decision.

Braverman has been barred from contacting Netanyahu or going to the Prime Minister’s Office since January 11, when he was first arrested and questioned over the allegations that he said he could quash an investigation into the leaked documents affair.

He allegedly set up a nighttime meeting in the underground parking lot of the IDF’s Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv with Feldstein in October 2024. During the meeting, Feldstein alleged that Braverman told him he was aware of what should have been a secret IDF investigation into Feldstein’s leak of classified intelligence to the German newspaper Bild, which Braverman said he could stop.

Netanyahu has received wide backlash over his connection to the Qatar affair — though he denies any knowledge of the PR work by people under his charge. A December poll found that half of Israelis, including 30 percent of those who voted for the governing coalition, believe working for Qatar while working in the PMO should be considered an act of treason.

Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the Iran war right now? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:

Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock under difficult conditions to cover this conflict;

Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and emails; and

Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 Trump vows to open Strait of Hormuz ‘one way or the other’ as Iran threatens area’s ports

2 Iranian missiles wound 3 in Eilat, including child; Israel hits hundreds of Iran sites

3 Reporter's notebookAfter years of hesitation, more Druze of the Golan Heights seek Israeli citizenship

4 IDF says no shortage of interceptors, after report claimed stockpile ‘critically low’

5 Trump threatens further strikes on Iran’s key oil export hub as war enters third week

6 Direct Israel-Lebanon truce talks said expected in coming days, though challenges abound

7 US military names 6 crew members killed on refueling plane that crashed in Iraq

8 Inside storyWith Iran under US and Israeli attack, country’s Jews seek safety in silence

© The Times of Israel